Inexpensive St. Patty’s Day Feast
St. Patrick’s Day is not one of those holidays that you budget for. Nonetheless, it’s fun to do something to celebrate. Try serving an Irish dinner to your family. This one is inexpensive and hearty, and you can even put a couple of drops of green food coloring in your kids’ milk for a St. Patrick’s Day surprise.
Menu:
Irish Stew
Irish Soda Bread
Green Milk
Irish Stew
Ingredients
1 ounce butter
2 pounds lamb or beef, cubed
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 Tbsp plain flour
1 pint beef stock
2 Tbsp tomato puree
1/2 Tbsp sugar
2 potatoes, cubed
1 bouquet garni (sprig of parsley, sprig of thyme, 1 bay leaf tied up in muslin)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco sauce
Instructions
Melt the butter in a large pan and fry the meat in it until browned on all sides. Do not crowd the pan; brown the meat in two or three batches if necessary. Remove the meat from the pan, add the onion and carrots and cook until slightly softened.
Return the meat to the pan, add the flour, then stir in the stock, tomato puree and sugar. Bring to boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Add the potatoes, the bouquet garni and salt and pepper to taste.
Cook over a low heat for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender. While the stew is simmering, add 4 or 5 drops of tabasco to taste.
Yield: 4 servings
Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients:
4 cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup raisins
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups buttermilk
Instructions
1 Preheat oven to 425°. Sift together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.
2 Using a pastry cutter or two knives, work butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, then stir in raisins.
3 Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add egg and buttermilk to well and mix in with a wooden spoon until dough is too stiff to stir. Dust hands with a little flour, then gently knead dough in the bowl just long enough to form a rough ball. If the dough is too sticky to work with, sprinkle in a little more flour. Do not overknead! Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf.
4 Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased cast-iron skillet or a baking sheet. Using a serrated knife, score top of dough about 1/2” deep in an “X” shape. Transfer to oven and bake until bread is golden and bottom sounds hollow when tapped with a knife, about 35-45 minutes. Check for doneness also by inserting a long, thin skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, it’s done.